Building information modeling (BIM) can refer to the generation and/or management of data associated with a building (e.g., data associated with the components, equipment, and/or properties of the building). For example, BIM data can include architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, sanitary, fire, and/or geometrical information associated with a building.
The leading international standard for describing the data contained within a building information model is called the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), which is an open standard designed and maintained by the BuildingSmartAlliance. This is a very comprehensive standard that provides for the description of data related to many sub-domains related to the design, build, construction, and/or operation of a building.
BIM data associated with a building can be used to generate a user interface for a building management system for the building, which can be displayed to a user (e.g., operator) and used to monitor and/or control the building. For example, the user (e.g., operator) of a building management system can check and/or set the state of a control component(s), equipment, device(s), network (s) area(s), and/or space(s) of the building using the user interface of the building management system. The user interface with multiple views can include, for example, the floor plan of the building, with additional information about the building (e.g., information about a device(s) of the building, information about a control network(s) of the building, schematic graphics of the building, etc.) overlaid on the floor plan. The building management system (e.g., the user interface displayed to the operator) can be two or three dimensional.
The amount of BIM data associated with a building, and codified or expressed in the IFC standard, tends to be proportional to the size of the building, and can grow exponentially based on the number of specific sub-domains that are identified and documented in the BIM, including, for example, plumbing, electrical, or HVAC systems. Therefore, even a small building with very complete information for many different systems within the building may have a very large amount of BIM data associated therewith. Accordingly, a building management system, and in particular a three dimensional building management system, for a building may utilize a large amount of BIM data, which can increase the amount of time and/or computing resources needed to generate the building management system, clutter the user interface of the building management system displayed to the operator (in particular when displayed on a small screen of a mobile device), and/or result in a sluggish interaction between the operator and the building management system. This can have a negative impact on the operator, particularly when the operator has to respond very quickly to some real time change in the status of the building or the equipment therein.